Carolina Panthers COMMITTING to Bryce Young Long-Term? | Dave Canales COTY Campaign

ESPN Insider Dan Graziano expects the Carolina Panthers to offer Bryce Young the fifth-year option in the 2026 offseason. The option would keep Young with the Panthers through the 2027 season.

“I covered the Panthers this past weekend and asked a bunch of their people about Young. And from what I can tell, they still believe in him. They've used 10 different offensive line combinations this season and have a young receiver group, so the team seems to think the ups and downs can be blamed on more than just the quarterback. Young was excellent Sunday in beating the Rams, but he was far less than that against the 49ers the Monday night before. The week before that, he set a single-game franchise record for passing yards in a victory over the Falcons. It's hard to really know what the long-term outlook is when the swings are this wild week to week. The Panthers will have to decide by the first week of May whether to pick up his fifth-year option for 2027. I expect them to do that because the cost will be reasonable (around $26.5 million), but then the question becomes what to do after that.”
Dan Graziano via ESPN.com

The Panthers will likely not be in position to draft a top quarterback talent. The QB free agent class is incredibly weak aside from Daniel Jones who is expected to re-sign with the Indianapolis Colts. The Panthers could defer making a decision to the 2027 offseason, but that could open the door for having to give a larger and longer-term extension to Young. The fifth-year option offers the Panthers more time to solidify their plan at QB.

Dave Canales currently ranks 7th in odds to win Coach of the Year. The Panthers’ coach has already beaten the Panthers expected win total going into the season, but still remains underrated. His odds would boom if the Panthers are able to attain a playoff berth.